It is known to select a given material as a function, at least in part, of a given corresponding use and purpose. For example, an enterprise may select a given grade and composition of corrugated board to use when packaging a particular product to ensure adequate protection for the product during an anticipated shipping and handling process.
At the same time, however, cost considerations often compel the enterprise to seek materials that, while adequate to the task, are not unduly over-engineered for the desired purpose. Using a material that is unduly strong for a given purpose, for example, will typically result in an uncompetitively-high cost for the product in question.
Accordingly, many enterprises specify particular materials for particular purposes to ensure both adequate performance and appropriate cost.
This balancing of considerations, however, can increase the importance of quality control. In particular, for example, it can be important that the packaging material perform within its stated specifications. When quality control slips the packaging material may fail to perform as expected and thereby expose the corresponding product to increased risk of damage.
There are known ways by which packaging materials and the like can be tested to assess, for example, their relative strength. Unfortunately, these approaches are typically not well suited for use in the field (such as, for example, at a packing facility that employs the packaging material when packing corresponding products). As a result, ensuring the quality of packaging material can prove challenging and hence is often left unknown and uncertain.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.